The Covid-19 virus has demonstrated an ability to transcend man-made boundaries and barriers that exist in our fragile global community. It reminds us of humanity’s interconnection; even at the same time we’re practicing “social distancing.” Prayer—especially during this Lenten season—also helps keep us interconnected through challenging times. The Redemptorists and...

A Model Evangelist, a Life of Struggle These encouraging words from a man with a complicated story can inspire and guide us if we let them. Saint Clement Hofbauer spoke them more than 200 years ago, and the truth in them is as fresh today as they were then. How...

As we live out the mysteries of our faith during the approaching Easter season, the rosary offers a beautiful, meditative guide, inviting us to reconsider specific events and revisit familiar themes of salvation history. Journeying through Lent toward Easter, we have yearned to see Jesus rise triumphantly above a world...

There is an indescribable mercy in the gospel that opens the hearts of broken people and draws them into a life devoted to reflecting the relentless grace of the crucified Savior to a lost and weary world. It is a mystery that conquers the most hardened, sinful soul and lifts...

The highest form of charity is that shown to those unable to reciprocate and perhaps even to thank us in return.—Pope Francis Long before immigrants, refugees, and migrants became the subjects of modern-day hot-button political debates, the Catholic Church addressed the question of whether people have the right to emigrate...

A ton of turmoil abounds around the globe. From navigating the uncharted waters of the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, to the economic and social hardships the threat of the virus has wrought, to the numerous other challenges people face, many find it difficult, if not impossible, to attain...

June 27 is a special day during which we can especially celebrate a great source of consolation for so many. The annual feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help enables us to reflect on our veneration of our beloved icon. On this feast day, let us express our gratitude to...

Part 1: The Church in Crisis, Now and Then he Bible is an inexhaustible resource of spiritual insight and challenge. While the clerical sexual-abuse crisis has hung over the Church like a poisonous cloud, every problem poses an opportunity. “What can today’s Church, with its crises, learn from the Church...

According to my husband and others close to me, I have difficulty accepting or acknowledging if and when I need help. I admit there is more than a morsel of truth to my tendency to do it all myself. On too many occasions, I’ve gotten myself into jams because I...

The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us the path to a better life on earth for the sake of our eternal life in heaven. His resurrection fulfills God’s promises and confirms Christ’s teachings and works. Do we believe in those promises or do we allow doubts to steer us from...

One can be a lonely number. According to the US Health Resources and Services Administration, loneliness and social isolation can be as damaging to one’s health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. Contrary to what some might think, research shows suicide rates are highest in the spring and summer. Clearly...

Several months ago while sitting around the supper table, the youngest in our family blurted out what sounded like an innocent question: “What does ‘OK, boomer’ mean?” Everyone looked at one another bewildered, not even sure if we heard his question accurately. Then my middle daughter, who’s twenty-three, began to...

We live in an environment fraught with tension, which has the potential to take a toll on our faith life. Our Blessed Mother has always walked with the people of God and shed light upon the signs of the times. Is there an image of Mary for our modern times...

Lately, I feel like I’ve been bombarded with requests to analyze my “former self.” You know, questions that ask: “Based on what you’ve learned, what advice would you give yourself at age twenty, thirty, forty, etc.” I have had many “relevations.” (Please don’t call out our editor; that’s an intentional...

Ideas Parishes Can Use to Server a Fast-Growing Population By Barbara Lee As a spiritual director with a ministry to the aging, I often hear two complaints from older men and women about parish life: First: “We’re left out. Parish activities focus on families and young people, most parish events...

Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe Never again! That’s a refrain heard throughout modern history. Never again should we have to witness atrocities. Never again should we have to overcome another terrorist attack. Never again should a family have to rush to a school because of a mass shooting or a lockdown....

Louis de Montfort, the great Marian saint, wrote volumes about the importance of Mary in the mystery of salvation. His teachings and inspirational prayers positioned devotion to Mary as a way to increase our faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was often quoted as saying what later became...

In this first issue of the year, I’m pleased to introduce you to the new content you’ll find between our covers and briefly review some of the Liguorian features that we’re excited to continue offering to you. Though we’ve dabbled in publishing poetry in the past, in 2020, we plan...

Today’s chaotic society, which seems to draw our attention from big-picture concerns to minutiae, may make us want to run and hide. For example, consider the pressure that builds as we get ready for Christmas and compare it with, say, a family mourning the death of a child lost to...

Riches CAN BE Discovered through “alert prayer” Msgr. Douglas Fater Advent peeks out each year like a tarnished, forgotten ornament—lost in the anxious activities between Thanksgiving and Christmas. About the only way we might think of Advent in passing is if we see “First, Second, Third, Fourth Sunday of Advent”...

At this time of year, we get caught up in the scramble of buying gifts, baking cookies, attending parties, and lighting up our homes with festive decorations. It’s all part of the joy of preparing for Christmas. It’s also part of the stress that comes on top of our increasingly...

A Sign that Enlightens Us “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” —Revelation 12:1 This Scripture quote that speaks of “sign” and “stars” has been used to proclaim the place...

Behind “I’m fine” Have you ever been next to someone who takes “How are you?” to heart? As a young adult, I felt humiliated when my stepmother committed the social faux pas of doing just that when a retail-store associate asked how she was doing. After Mom listed her aches...

As a writer and ministry consultant I have spent some time with Christians of different denominations. I have always been blessed to see the deeply authentic faith of believers in Jesus, their prayerful and unwavering zeal to reach the lost, and the enthusiasm and unbridled joy they express in their...